Cablegate: Media Reaction Zimbabwe Democracy Bill; Harare

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLASSIFIED PTQ3269

PAGE 01 HARARE 02334 061224Z
ACTION INR-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 A-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00
DS-00 EUR-00 UTED-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 LAB-01
VCE-00 NSAE-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 IIP-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02
NFAT-00 SAS-00 /004W
------------------0E577E 061225Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9417
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 002334

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/P, INR/R/MR,
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY BILL; HARARE

1. EDITORIALS IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA FOCUS ON THE
ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY BILL 2001.
UNCLASSIFIED

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EXCERPTS FOLLOW:

2. UNDER HEADLINE "THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY BILL: WHAT IT
COULD MEAN," THE AUGUST 6 EDITION OF THE INDEPENDENT DAILY
'THE DAILY NEWS' COMMENTS:

"IT WOULD BE UNDERSTANDABLE FOR MANY ZANU PF
POLITICIANS AND THE GOVERNMENT TO DISMISS THE UNITED
STATES' SENATE APPROVAL OF THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND
(ECONOMIC) RECOVERY BILL LAST WEEK. THIS IS EVEN MORE
SO IF ANY OF THEM BELIEVE THE OFFHAND DISMISSAL OF THE
BILL BY THE ZIMBABWEAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U. S., SIMBI
MUBAKO. . .WHATEVER THE ATTITUDE OF THE POLITICIANS AND
DIPLOMATS OF MUBAKO'S COMPLACENCY, THE FACT REMAINS
THAT IF THE BILL IS PASSED BY THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES NEXT MONTH AND IS SUBSEQUENTLY SIGNED
INTO LAW BY REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH,
ZIMBABWE WILL BE WALKING AN EVEN TIGHTER ECONOMIC ROPE
THAN BEFORE. . .ZIMBABWE WILL BE TREATED BY THE U. S.
GOVERNMENT LIKE THE ECONOMIC LEPER THAT THE ILLEGAL
REGIME OF IAN SMITH WAS DURING THE 15 YEARS OF
UDI. . .THE SANCTIONS WON'T BE AS DRACONIAN AS THOSE
IMPOSED ON THE SMITH REGIME, BUT THEIR OVERALL EFFECT
WILL BE THE FURTHER ECONOMIC ISOLATION OF
ZIMBABWE. . . ."

3. UNDER HEADLINE "RESILIENT ZIMBABWE WILL BREAK U. S.
STRANGLEHOLD," THE AUGUST 5 EDITION OF THE
GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED WEEKLY 'THE SUNDAY MAIL'
COMMENTS:

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03 HARARE 02334 061224Z
"SO, AS EXPECTED THE U. S. SENATE HAS JUST PASSED THE
CONTROVERSIAL ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY
BILL WHICH SEEKS TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON
ZIMBABWE. . .WHATEVER MIGHT BE SAID WE KNOW THE REASON
FOR THIS BILL IS A DESPERATE BUT FUTILE ATTEMPT TO
THWART THE THIRD CHIMURENGA, WHICH WANTS TO DEAL WITH
THE LAND DISTRIBUTION ANOMALIES ONCE AND FOR ALL. THE
CHRISTENING OF THE BILL 'DEMOCRACY' IS RATHER
ABSURD. . .ONE THEN ASKS WHY THERE IS THIS RELENTLESS
PRESSURE BY THE RIGHT-WING ELEMENT IN THE U. S. TO
DESTABILIZE THE DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED ZIMBABWE
GOVERNMENT WHILE NOTHING IS SAID ABOUT THE MILITARY
GOVERNMENT OF BURUNDI AND RWANDA. INDEED WHEN IT COMES
TO THE PROMOTION OF DEMOCRACY INTERNATIONALLY THE U. S.
IS AS GUILTY AS SIN. . .ZIMBABWEANS HAVE BEEN TRIED AND
TESTED BEFORE AS THE FIRST AND SECOND CHIMURENGA CAN
TESTIFY. SANCTIONS WILL, IN FACT, INVOKE THAT SPIRIT
OF NATIONALISM AND UNITE THE COUNTRY IN THEIR BID TO
PRESERVE THEIR HARD-WON INDEPENDENCE. WE ARE IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE THIRD CHIMURENGA AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH
JESSE HELMS AND THE U. S. SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS
COMMITTEE MIGHT TRY TO DERAIL THIS COURSE, THEY ARE
DOOMED TO FAIL. FOR THEM AND THEIR BLACK PROXIES IN
ZIMBABWE TO POSTULATE THE USHERING IN OF A PUPPET
REGIME THROUGH SANCTIONS IS A MONUMENTAL
MISCALCULATION. . .

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